Israel's Economy

The credit scoring agency sites the nation’s prosperous and diverse economy, external balance sheet and flexible monetary policy framework as reasons for the confirmation, reported by The Jerusalem Post on February 4, 2019. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed "another achievement for the Israeli economy," following S&P's affirmation of the credit rating first received in August 2018 as a "very strong expression of confidence" in the country. Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon called the announcement "further proof of the strength of the Israeli economy and its global status." (Israel bonds are not rated)

CloudEndure, which provides business continuity software solutions for disaster recovery, is not the first or the biggest Israeli acquisition by the e-commerce giant. In 2015, Amazon acquired Annapurna Labs for $360 million, which became the center for developing chips used by Amazon Web Services, its cloud-computing unit. Additionally, Amazon also has a smaller research and development unit in Israel working on its cashierless supermarkets, as well as another group working on computer vision for smart speakers. This most recent deal in Amazon’s storied past with Israel has been finalized in January 2019 and is expected to be promptly announced, according to Haaretz.

U.S.-Israel fund to invest $7.3 million in new joint innovation projects

The Israel-U.S. Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Foundation approved funding of eight new projects in January 2019 to be jointly developed by U.S. and Israeli companies, according to The Times of Israel. New investments will include educational and agricultural technology, energy, digital health, medical devices, and homeland security. “It’s satisfying to see how varied are the projects submitted to the BIRD Foundation with diversity in sectors, size of U.S. companies and their geographical location, enhancing BIRD’s impact, for mutual benefit of the U.S. and Israel,” said Phillip Singerman, associate director for Innovation and Industry Services at the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology and co-chairman of BIRD’s board of governors, following the announcement.

Israel is outperforming Europe and the OECD with accelerating growth

The nation's gross domestic product has been rising at an average annual rate of 3.69 percent since 2000, inflation has been negligible at 1.57 percent, and unemployment has fallen to half of its average for the period of 7.4 percent.

With a population of 8.4 million people, the Jewish state has outperformed its European counterparts. Israel’s GDP growth of 69 percent, since being upgraded it to developed-market status in 2009, is more than 17 times what Austria accomplished and almost three times what Switzerland achieved, according to data compiled by Bloomberg and highlighted in an op-ed entitled 'Israel’s Economy Is Too Strong to Argue About' on January 24, 2019.

The Jewish state moved up five spots from last year and surpassed Singapore, Sweden and Japan in the process. After the index was published on January 22, 2019, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted, "Israel is a rising global power!"

The Government of Israel raised a record €2.5 billion ($2.88b.) - its largest ever - in the global debt capital markets

On January 9, 2019, peak demand for the bonds was worth about €15 billion ($17.3b.), the most for a euro-denominated issuance. Over 300 investors from 30 countries, including Great Britain, Germany and France, participated in the groundbreaking deal. Consequently, Israel became the first nation in 2019 to announce a mandate for a euro-denominated issuance. Following the trailblazing circulation, Accountant General Rony Hizkiyahu said, “The long bonds – a set for 10 years and a set for 30 years issued for the first time in euros – attests to the confidence of foreign investors in the Israeli economy.” Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon added, “The Israeli economy is enjoying excellent years of high growth, full employment and a low debt-to-GDP ratio,” The Jerusalem Post reported.

Israel's record shattering 2018 in investment capital, acquisitions, and exports

Its game-changing tech sector continued to transform the world. International excitement over Startup Nation can be gauged by the fact that Israeli companies raised nearly $6.5 billion in investment capital in 2018, establishing a new record, as stated in Globes (January 1, 2019). Moreover, four of the 15 largest acquisitions in Israel’s history were made last year. Technology also played a key part in a year in which exports totaled $110 billion, yet another record noted in Israel Hayom (December 31, 2018).

Additionally, as reported in CTECH by Calcalist (January 1, 2019), Israel’s 2018 GDP growth is expected to average 3.2 percent, and, while somewhat lower than 2017, this still ranks first among all OECD countries. It is a significant accomplishment that, at one time, would have seemed inconceivable.

All this, and so much more, springs forth from a land, that according to a survey published last year, ranked 100 on a list of the world’s 100 most populous countries.

Israel gets NIS 17.6 trillion valuation

The State of Israel is officially worth more than 17 trillion shekels or NIS 17,638,763,277,054 to be precise, Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon revealed on August 14, 2018 as he opened trading on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE).

Standard & Poor’s gives Israel its highest-ever rating

The ratings agency cites steady growth, improved fiscal outlook in decision to upgrade Jewish state's credit score to AA- according to The Times of Israel (August 2018). Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the upgraded rating as “a reflection of the strength of the Israeli economy.” In a statement after S&P announced the move, Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon said, “In the last three years, the Israeli economy has soared to the best macro data in its history. The confidence expressed in us by the strongest economic bodies in the world enables us to continue to grow the economy.” (Israel bonds are not rated)

Moody's raises rating outlook for Israel

Moody's has joined Standard & Poor's (S&P) in raising its rating outlook for Israel from ‘stable’ to ‘positive.’ According to Globes, Moody’s states the change means that there is a good chance that Israel's rating will be upgraded in the next 12-18 months, for the first time since 2008. If the raised outlook does result in an upgrade, the rating, currently at A1, will rise to Aa-, the article went on to read. Minister of Finance Moshe Kahlon said, "The rating outlook upgrade is further evidence of the strength and stability of the Israeli economy. All the data indicate that the economic policy that we are pursuing, including a free and responsible economy alongside strengthening the middle class and poorer sections of society, is the right way." (Israel bonds are not rated)

This growth, faster than previously forecasted, was boosted by gains in consumer spending, investment and export, the Central Bureau of Statistics said in a second estimate.

Life Sciences Industry in Israel Soars

A comprehensive report by Israel Advanced Technology Industries and PwC on the life sciences industry in Israel has shown dramatic growth. The sector currently has 1,450 active companies compared to 800-900 five years ago. A record $1.2 billion was raised in 2017 from local and foreign funds, public offerings, investments by private equity funds, and support from the Israel Innovation Authority. The capital raising was 40 percent higher than in 2016 and 400 percent more than a decade ago. According to the report, $656 million was raised in rounds of more than $20 million last year, compared to $452 million in 2016.

German carmaker Volkswagen (VW) opened a Tel Aviv innovation center to promote the development of autonomous vehicles, new mobility services, and tailor-made solutions. The VW campus will be a co-working space called Konnect, and will provide local partners and mobility-based startups direct access to the Volkswagen group for business collaborations as well as support in mentoring and consulting. Volkswagen Group chief customer officer Peter Harris remarked, “I am a strong believer in the technological innovations being developed within the Israeli market and I am convinced that they can help us reach our goal of being one of the global market leaders in sustainable mobility. Konnect is another step in expanding our activities in Israel and will help our portfolio of brands engage with the Israeli start-up ecosystem.”

Israel enjoys GDP per capita of $42,120 – which is calculated by dividing the country’s total economic output by its number of people. In contrast, Japan’s GDP per capita is $40,850.

The prime minister added that unemployment was at an all-time low, or at 3.7% in February 2018. Many economists deem it a state of “full employment” – when the economy is such that all eligible people who want jobs can get one.

Israel’s economy marked another unusually strong quarter of growth in the first three months of 2018 as consumer spending, imports and investment soared, according to the Israeli paper Haaretz

Gross domestic product grew an annualized 4.2% rate in the January-March period, the Central Bureau of Statistics reported on May 16 in a preliminary estimate. That was well ahead of the 3.9% average pace forecast in a Reuters poll of economists and marked the third straight quarter of expansion in excess of 4%.

Moreover, the CBS revised up its fourth-quarter gross domestic product growth estimate to an annualized 4.4% from 4.1%.

The plan, submitted in May, involves a major overhaul of the chip manufacturer's Fab 28 plant in the town of Kiryat Gat. Intel said it was responsible for $3.6 billion of Israel’s exports in 2017, which represents about 8% of the country’s total tech exports. The company also said its plants have produced $50 billion worth of goods throughout their entire lifetime. Local investments and acquisitions have totaled $35 billion. “Intel and Israel are a wonderful story of a partnership that started in 1974,” Intel’s top executive in the country, Yaniv Garty, said in a statement.

A report from the International Monetary Fund (May 2018) confirms strong economic growth for Israel

The IMF praised the nation’s solid job market, government investment in infrastructure, and Israel's strong economic growth. According to the report, the Israeli economy grew by 3.4% over the course of 2017, led by local demand and improved global economic growth. In recent years, unemployment has dropped steadily and at the beginning of 2018 dropped below 4%, which supported an average rise in salaries of 3.3% across the board.

The Israel Export Institute and the Economy and Industry Ministry announced in May that the rapid growth that characterized Israeli exports in 2017 is continuing in 2018

In the first quarter of 2018, exports of goods except diamonds rose by 6.5% from the same period in 2017, reaching $12.6 billion. Total exports of goods including diamonds totaled $14.5 billion in the first quarter, an increase of 1.6% from the previous year.

In a statement issued April 17, 2018, credit rating agency Fitch Ratings has affirmed Israel’s grade of ‘A+' with a stable outlook

“Israel benefits from high financing flexibility, has deep and liquid local markets, good access to international capital markets, an active Diaspora bond program [emphasis added], and US government guarantees in the event of market disruption,” the agency noted. Israel’s economy was also acknowledged in the report as having a “robust macroeconomic performance and solid institutional strength” and was recognized as being “diverse and advanced” due to its “well-developed institutions and education system.”

The Bonds organization is proud to be a vital partner in the fortification of Israel’s economy and is appreciative of all Israel bond investors for helping to reach this accomplishment. (Israel bonds are not rated).

A $15 billion deal in 2018 to export Israeli gas to Egypt brings the formerly resource-poor Jewish state a step closer to becoming an energy exporter to the most populous Arab country

The contract will “position Israel as a central player in the regional energy sector,” remarked Israel Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz.

Intel to invest $4.5 billion in Israel in 2018

"Intel has decided to invest billions of dollars in Israel in 2018," Minister of Finance Moshe Kahlon told the Knesset Finance Committee Sunday. Intel previously invested $6 billion in 2016 and 2017 to expand and upgrade its plant in Kiryat Gat, making it one of the world's most advanced chip fabs.

View the most recent Government of Israel Ministry of Finance Office of the Accountant General Investor Newsletter here for informational purposes only. (The information contained herein has not been approved by Development Corporation for Israel nor does Development Corporation for Israel make any representations as to its accuracy. Development Corporation for Israel is not acting as underwriters, advisors or consultants to the entities referenced herein and has not done any analysis of their financial conditions or prospects. We encourage you to engage your lawyers, accountants and business advisors before you make any investments.)